I have an interview tomorrow that will make or break this gal's help desk career... It will be a panel interviewed 4, two of them I know, one I have helped or had dealings with on the help desk. The other is don't recognize. I'm so worried I won't get the job. I just don't know how think be optimistic right now. I'll try and keep come, keep a level head. I'm more worried about my body. I shake when I'm super nervous. If I shake badly enough my voice shakes. I want to be confident but I'm literally scared!

I'm afraid of those questions where they ask how you can help improve 'the company' in the future or whatever. How are you going to contribute, whatsoever you bring to The workplace? I mean, I like working the help desk but that doesn't leave a lot of time for anything else. I also like making user guides and other documentation. I make those up to send to users if I feel they could benefit from screen shots and clear steps and explanations. Sometimes I don't have the time or desire to type those out when it's not the first time it's happened.

I don't lean as heavily towards tech. I'm more and more interested in managing time and space, coordinating tasks and people. I want to build that confidence and power and know-how so I can be in charge. I want to know the job and jobs and tasks of other departments and people so when I'm asked a question I know the answer or someone who will. I want to be involved with tech but I don't want to spend my day staring at a screen of code.

IT at the university needs to be more people oriented. We're not the needs in the basements. I want to do what I canto help someone because I think it's important and it should be taken care of as quickly as possible. I feel bad when an issue sticks around with no apparent progress because it's stupid like a queue and the people who own that queue are too busy and don't look at as often as I would.

Sooooo stressed out! Sooooo worried!!

14 blog comments below

Best of good luck TG. I've had those interviews, and they can be quite anal, particularly when the one person tries to outdo the other with their interview questions. However, as analytical and anal they can be, they pretty much already have their minds made up about you, and as far as I can see your chances are good. I'd channel into your confidence wavelength of two blog posts ago, when you were describing some of the problems you had sorted out and the appreciation you received for their successful outcome. I'd read and reread your blog posts here just to tune into that confidence vibe and compose yourself with them. During the interview I'd listen to the questions very carefully, and only answer what is asked. And I'd also make a list of questions to ask them so that when they get to the part where they ask you whether you have any questions to ask, you have one or two really good ones available.

I think the things you have going for you are:
1. Plenty of enthusiasm - you love what you are doing
2. You really want the job
3. You're already there and part of the team
4. You have a solid track record with them that speaks for itself

Well the interview went over well. I seemed to have made a good impression and got a few good laughs out of the two people on the panel I'd never met before. They were all very nice and I think I showed them I had a pretty good personality and that I really like working on the help desk. I only missed one of the questions regarding acronyms. I completely forgot what LDAP stood for! I did ace the hardware test. Apparently the two people before really didn't know what they were doing. All you had to do was connect the HD and stick some RAM in then boot into the BIOS and flip the boot order. If it was supposed to boot from the HD then switch it to CD and vise versa. I ended up telling Cam that he should disable one of the boot options so they have to enable it and then switch the order

Thanks guys! I might hear back near the end of next week, maybe earlier the following week. Really hope I secured my place and they just had to pick the best of the bunch to fill the remaining position. Cam has a lot of faith in me, as do a few others in IT who want me to officially join the team.

Well my chances of getting a job just went up. Now, instead of hiring 2 new permanent people they're hiring 3! Cam, who is working the Help Desk with me (from afar at his desk downstairs) got another job within IT that starts in August. Yay for him and yay for me! Now it really makes sense to keep me on because who has time to train 3 new people???

Also, yesterday I had to cover switchboard and for some reason I was left on the Help Desk by myself and I had to help someone on the phone, two people at the desk and I think about 3 calls came through on switchboard. So I started to call with the one person and helped one person at the desk (doing a software update so I didn't have to speak to them or anything) and the other person at the desk wanted to borrow a USB. Anytime the switchboard line went off I had to tell the person I had to put them on hold.

I'm not going to lie, I was pissed that happened. I could cover all that if someone was there as backup, but I was alone. So...

Fantastic that you covered everything even though you should not have had to. Glad you hear your chances at a position increase - like you needed that to secure a position anyway. They would be fools if they don't make you permanent.
You ROCK that help desk!!!